It’s 64 BC in Rome. The consular elections are approaching, and the air is tense. Candidates face off without mercy, factions form, promises fly, whispers of corruption circulate. Neighborhoods are boiling with propaganda, squares are packed with people, alliances shift daily — a scene that could perfectly describe any modern election.

Marcus Tullius Cicero, the most brilliant orator of his time, decides to run for consul. The problem? He’s a novus homo, a man with no aristocratic background. Think of a university professor running for president without a political party or a famous last name.

To help him, his younger brother, Quintus Tullius Cicero, writes him a short but extraordinary manual: the Commentariolum Petitionis. A text of fewer than thirty pages that could easily be called “The Practical Guide to Power.”

Reading it is like browsing a playbook for modern politicians. The rules? Identical. Here’s an updated selection of Quintus’s advice, sounding as relevant now as it was then:

1. Build your public persona
   Remind yourself each morning who you are, what you want, and where you are: “I’m an outsider, I want power, I’m in the toughest city on earth.” If you’re not well-known, become it. Use your one true weapon: words. Eloquence is your megaphone.
2. Build a vast web of friendships
   In politics, “friend” means anyone who smiles at you, greets you, or vaguely promises something. But real allies matter: those you’ve defended, helped, or promoted. Assign them roles. Make them feel important. Watch out for fake friends, the ones who praise you in public and stab you in private.
3. Flatter, promise, charm
   Flattery is a vice — unless you’re campaigning. Then it’s a cardinal virtue. Always smile, never say “no,” or say it so gently it feels like a “yes.” The goal is simple: be liked.
4. Be visible. Everywhere. With everyone.
   Get out there. Visit the forum, greet the people, surround yourself with a colorful crowd. People vote for those who look like winners. Public presence — today we’d call it a “strong social media presence” — signals power.
5. Win over both elites and the streets
   Don’t just court the senators. Go after centurions, tribunes, craftsmen, freedmen — even influential slaves. Think in terms of city districts, wards, and neighborhoods. You need a familiar face in every gathering.
6. Intimidate your rivals (subtly)
   Hint that you’re watching. That you could drag them to court if needed. Don’t threaten openly — just let it be known. In politics, as in mob logic: better be your friend than your enemy.
7. Put on a show
   Your campaign should feel like a festival: feasts, speeches, grand gestures. Be generous, energetic, and magnetic. Even the poorest citizens love to feel part of something big.

In short, two thousand years may have changed the tools — but not the grammar of power. The same strategies now handled by spin doctors and media consultants were already understood and practiced by a Roman in a freshly ironed toga.

Quintus didn’t invent politics, but he understood its essence: an art that blends seduction and strategy, boldness and memory, theater and calculation.

So if you’re tired of fake smiles, empty promises, and secret alliances… cheer up: our politicians, for better or worse, are truly the heirs of a timeless tradition.

by Brunus